The Unexpected Ending
by xScorpio1025x
Summary: Percy Jackson and Piper McLean have all but given up hope after watching their loved ones die. The Giant War is over but it didn't end as expected and the world is in complete chaos trying to put itself back together. Can the remaining Heroes of Olympus save the world? Rated T just to be safe. Percy/Piper Warning! Characters may be OOC
1. Prologue

We all expected things to be different after and during the Giant War. Good things. We expected people to be closer. We expected the camps to be united. And that did happen.

But for all the wrong reasons.

Campers were closer because everyone around them was dying and the camps united because they had to. But the reasons didn't matter as long as it was happening… right?

So many people died leaving people lost and empty. Annabeth, Jason, Frank and Conner Stoll were just a few names among the tons of people who died. We saw this coming too, we expected death, I mean it was war, people had to die. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

We expected so many things and so many different scenarios that we figured we were prepared for everything. But we weren't. What didn't we expect?

We didn't expect to lose.


	2. Chapter 1

**Piper's POV**

I sat alone on my bunk, picking at a loose thread on my comforter. The rest of the Aphrodite cabin was training but I told them that I was feeling sick so I could come back here for some alone time. It wasn't a lie, I did feel sick. Just not the flu kind of sick.

Ever since we'd lost the Giant War, the Aphrodite cabin had needed more guidance from me, their head counselor, than ever. I was tired of pretending to be made of steel, pretending that the deaths of my closest friends and my boyfriend weren't affecting me. But gods, they were more than anyone realized.

My heart panged whenever I thought their names: Annabeth. Frank. _Jason._ It had come to the point where I couldn't cry anymore, I just sat there and felt numb while the memories flooded over me in slow motion.

Sometimes Leo or Hazel would stop by and we'd sit in silence, drinking in the presence of one another. Percy never came. He didn't really talk to any of us anymore but if anyone noticed, they didn't say. We were all too busy wallowing in grief.

"Piper!" the voice surprised me and I jerked up, barely missing bashing my head on the wall. I looked over and saw one of my sisters, Lacy. "It's time for dinner. If you're feeling better you should join us."

I shook my head, going back to picking at my thread. "No thanks," I mumbled. "Tell Drew she's in charge for the night."

Lacy looked hesitant but nodded and scurried out, letting the cabin door slam shut behind her. I shoved my face into my pillow and sighed.

I missed my old life then more than ever. I didn't even know if my dad was still alive, we weren't allowed to leave camp anymore. It was the only safe place half-bloods had left. Hades, it was probably the only safe place for anyone! That bugged me, that mortals couldn't enter the camp. I felt like we could help, heard them inside and keep them safe, but we don't.

I stood up and stretched, my arms hitting something hard peeking out of the corner of my backpack. I slid it out curious to see what it was. My stomach dropped when I saw it. It was a scrapbook that Jason and I had made together when we had free time on the Argo II. It was filled with pictures of all the members of the seven and a few with Nico and Thalia.

I shakily opened the leather cover, tears burning my eyes as I looked at the first picture. Of course it _had_ to be the one that Annabeth took right after Jason, Leo and I got back from our quest. We were filthy and tired but we had our arms around each other, smiling like we'd won the lottery.

I didn't want to continue but something in my brain made my hand reach out and turn the page. It was a picture of Jason that I'd taken when he hadn't been looking. His mouth was hanging open slightly and I'd caught him at just the right moment that his eyes looked crossed. I would have laughed if the memories weren't making my heart hurt so badly.

I almost made it through the entire book; I was on the last page in fact, when I broke down. It was another picture of Jason and I, but this one was different. We weren't goofing off or smiling, it was a picture of us kissing. Percy had taken it and teased us about it for days. He didn't even know that I'd printed out a copy for myself.

My hands were shaking so badly that the scrapbook clattered to the floor. Unshed tears were gathering in my eyes and it felt like the walls were closing in. I was having something of a panic attack. I'd only experienced this once before, when I watched Jason die.

Oh, that wasn't the right thing to think. I was shaking pretty bad now and the room seemed to be suffocating me. I didn't even bother to put shoes on before throwing myself against my cabin door and into the night. Everyone was at dinner so I didn't have to worry about running into a camper as I tore down towards the beach, my new safe haven.

I tripped several times but I barely acknowledged the pain as tears, for the first time in months, tracked down my face. It felt good to cry, like a weight had just been lifted off my shoulders.

I was so busy running and crying I didn't notice the hunched over figure of Percy Jackson, sitting alone in the sand. I sprinted straight in front of him, not stopping until I was at the edge of the pier, my head in my hands and my legs dangling in the water.

My body shook with sobs but I didn't even try to stop them. I'd been holding in my emotions for so long that I don't think I could have contained them.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I yelped, jumping around and almost falling into the lake. I held my dagger out in front of me, blocking me from any attacks. But no one was attacking me. I wasn't faced with a monster; I was faced with Percy Jackson.

I'd almost rather take on the monster right about now.

"Oh," I said lowering my knife. "It's you."

Percy smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Nice to see you too," he commented, sitting down without waiting for an invitation. I wanted to tell him to beat it, that this was my place to cry, but the words got stuck in my throat.

"Yeah," was all I said.

"Are you ok?" Percy asked. I could see genuine concern in his eyes and a little… pity? I looked away. I don't need his pity. I don't need anyone's pity.

"Is anyone, lately?" I asked lamely.

"Right," Percy said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Stupid question. What has everyone been up to lately?" he asked suddenly.

It was an innocent enough question but it sparked anger inside of me. If he'd bothered to come out of his bloody cabin then he'd know! "Wouldn't you like to know," I spat. His eyes widened, startled. "You would already know the answer to that if you'd actually join the world of the living and not sit in your cabin all day and mope!"

He opened his mouth to answer but I wasn't finished yet. "We're all hurting. I know you've lost Annabeth and that she was your love and all that but she was my best friend! And I lost Jason! But you never came to see how I was doing. Or how Leo was. Or even Hazel!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at the sunset. It was too pretty; it didn't match my angry mood.

Percy surprised me by saying, "I'm sorry."

I expected him to fight back but I guess my life wasn't really going as expected so who was I to judge? Instead I collected myself and answered with, "Sorry doesn't make it better," I had hoped to sound fierce and angry but my voice came out sounding lost and broken, like a small child looking for their mother.

"I know," Percy replied. "But I am."

He sounded so sincere, so honest, that I couldn't be mad at him not matter how bad I wanted to be. I sighed and glanced over at him. He had deep bags under his eyes and his hair was even messier than usual. "It's okay," I heard myself say. I wanted to bite my tongue but I couldn't find it in me to take my words back.

"No it's not," Percy said. He offered me a watery smile. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not an idiot."

I let out something between a giggle and some sort of sob. I grimaced hoping he didn't notice that.

"Why are you out here?" Percy said, changing the subject.

I expected to feel my heart seize up like it always does when I think of Jason and it did, just not as bad as usual. "Oh you know," I said, rather proud that my voice held no trace of tears. "Just finding a quiet place to… think."

"How… how are you holding up?" Percy whispered. He sounded like some sort of sad, lost puppy. "How do you do it?"

"Honestly?" I asked, looking into his eyes. He nodded wordlessly and I looked away. "I don't. I'm just really good at pretending."

It was weird to see the brave Percy Jackson in tears. I'd never seen him cry before and it sort of unhinged me. If the leader wasn't ok then nothing was going to be fine. I was suddenly more terrified than I'd even been.

I leaned forward and put my head in my hands again. I didn't cry. I didn't let myself. I just sat there and felt hollow, like a gutted pumpkin. I felt Percy's arm slide around my shoulder and though I was surprised, I didn't move it. I wordlessly rested my head on his shoulder, shaking slightly.

"I missed you," I couldn't stop the words as they flew out of my mouth.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? I've been here the whole time."

His response made me want to laugh but I didn't. "Maybe physically," I responded. "But not mentally. With everyone dying and all, well, I figured that we'd lost you as well. Just not to death."

I could see guilt in his eyes but I told myself I didn't care. I was truthfully a little bitter. Here the rest of us had to tough it out while he slowly withered away in his cabin. I'd been thinking that the second he'd come out of his shell that I'd give him what for but now that I voiced my thoughts I felt like a jerk.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No," Percy's voice sounded a little far away, like he was thinking hard. "You have every right to be mad. I shouldn't have done that to you guys. But I'm here now."

"Good," I stated. "Welcome back Mr. Jackson."

Percy snorted and I smiled. It was good to see him happy again.

We spent a good two hours just talking, catching up with each other. I told him how the war was going and he told me his ideas to help fix things. We didn't mention the names Annabeth or Jason once but I know we were both thinking about them. It was hard not to but being in the presence of someone who really understood was helping me.

We parted ways when it started getting dark, both of us agreeing that being eaten by Harpies wasn't something we wanted.

I opened the door to the Aphrodite cabin quietly and slipped inside. All of my siblings looked at me but didn't say anything. I made my way over to my bunk and my heart panged when I saw my scrapbook sitting on the floor where I'd dropped it, still open on the last page. I picked it up, briefly held it close to my chest, and then threw it back into my backpack where it belonged.

* * *

**Eh I don't really like how I ended that chapter but there wasn't more for me to say. In all honesty I'm not entirely sure where this story is headed so I'm doing my best to leave it open for my different ideas. **


	3. Chapter 2

**Percy's POV**

After my chat with Piper, I felt like I could see clearly for the first time since Annabeth died, as cheesy as that sounds. She was the only one who was brave- and blunt- enough to give me the cold hard facts of reality and tell me that the camp needed me. Not to mention that I missed socializing, being alone all the time can get very, well, lonely.

That night my dreams were worse than normal. They started out the same as they have the past few months since the Giant War ended, with me watching Annabeth, Jason and Frank being murdered in the worst possible ways. But halfway through, the dream changed into something far worse.

Suddenly it wasn't the people who had already died that I was seeing; I was seeing my friends who were still alive: Leo, Hazel, Thalia and Piper. I watched them and more, being tortured by Gaea herself all while I stood there and watched, unable to move and help them.

I woke up breathless with tears streaming down my face as I tried to get ahold of myself. Terrible possibilities raced through my mind as I gripped the bed rails. What if I was glimpsing the future? What if something was happening to them right now?

The last one really struck home. My eyes widened and I jumped out of bed, only stopping to throw a pair of sneakers on before I dashed out into the cool night air. I had no idea where I was going but my feet seemed to know as I bolted from my cabin and dashed in between the others that all stood dark and silent.

Before I knew what was happening I was banging on the door to the Aphrodite cabin and yelling Piper's name. I had no clue what I was doing or what had possessed me to do this but at the time it seemed right. After a minute of her not answering the door, I was ready to bolt and find Leo, hoping that my nightmares weren't coming true.

A half second after I thought that, a very disheveled Piper stepped out of her cabin and shut the door. Her hair was mussed and she was wearing a pair of wrinkled pajamas, looking totally confused.

"Thank the gods," I breathed heavily, throwing my arms around her small frame. She froze, seeming confused and I blushed, realizing what I'd just done. I stepped back. "Sorry."

Piper waved away my apology. "What's wrong?" I could hear the concern in her voice and suddenly I felt kind of stupid for waking her up in the middle of the night because I had a bad dream.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and kicked at the dirt with the toe of my sneaker. "Sorry I woke you up," my voice was quiet and a little uncertain. I winced.

Piper grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from her cabin, probably so we wouldn't wake her siblings. Actually, I probably already did with all my screaming. I winced again, feeling extra bad now.

She led me over to a bench by the basketball courts and sat down. She patted the seat next to her and waited while I sat down. "Now," she said teasingly. "Why don't you explain to me why you woke me up in the middle of the night? Because I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'nothing.'"

"I really am sorry for waking you up," I repeated, feeling dumb. I really shouldn't have come.

"Doesn't matter," Piper replied, looking me dead in the eye. "Now, please tell me what's wrong."

I'm not sure if she charm spoke me or if it was just because I was pretty freaked out, but I spilled about my dream. "I've been having nightmares lately," I admitted hesitantly. "Pretty much since the war ended. I always see the people I really care about being killed: Annabeth, Jason, Frank, all of them."

Piper bit her lip at the mention of Jason's name but didn't respond.

"But tonight it was… different. It started the same, but then it changed and then I saw Gaea killing… you. And Leo. And Hazel…"

I trailed off and looked down at my hands sheepishly. It was silent for a minute until Piper responded quietly. "You had every right to wake me. I would have been scared out of my mind. Plus I've had dreams like that and I used to always go and wake up…"

She stopped stiffly, unable to continue. She didn't have to; I knew the name she was going to say. _Jason_. I put a comforting arm around her shoulder and I tensed waiting for her to shrug me off. I relaxed when she didn't.

"I'm sorry I ignored you guys for so long," I whispered.

"I know," Piper answered. I was glad she didn't say that it was ok because I knew that it wasn't. "It's just…" she trailed off, seeming to be unable to continue.

"I'm sorry," I repeated for lack of anything better to say. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"With the war?" Piper raised her eyebrows. "We're trying our best to get back in control but the gods aren't as strong as they used to be. We've had a couple of meetings but we still haven't figured anything out."

Piper looked really defeated as she said this and I realized for the first time how hard things must be for her. She and I both lost the love of our lives, but I crawled into my shell and didn't talk to anyone while she was forced into the position of pretending to be strong. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who handled it better.

"Chiron doesn't have any ideas?" I asked, trying (and failing) to joke around. "That's a first."

Instead of laughing or even smiling like I wanted her to do, Piper burst into tears. "I know," she cried. "It's horrible!"  
My eyes widened in horror. "Oh Hades, Piper, I'm so sorry," I said, feeling horrible. "I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Piper wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled dryly at me. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's not your fault. I'm not exactly stable," she let out a chocked laugh and then grimaced.

"Not stable?" I laughed. I wasn't trying to make her feel better; I actually meant what I was saying. "If anyone is unstable here, it's me. You're the strongest girl I know, you handled everything so well after the war ended, unlike me," I sighed. "I mean, I'm supposed to be the leader here. And I let everyone down."

Now it was Pipers turn to comfort me. And she did. Her eyes instantly dried and she looked up at me, not with pity but with concern. "You haven't let anyone down," she whispered. "Sure, we needed you, but you could never let us down."

"What about you?" I blurted out. "Did I let you down?"

She looked down at the ground, with tears in her eyes, and shook her head slowly. "O-of course not."

I wasn't convinced but I didn't say so. She looked fragile enough; I didn't want her breaking if she thought I didn't trust her or something.

Piper looked up at me, her eyes changing so quickly I couldn't keep up. She smiled softly and whispered, "It's late. You should try to get some sleep," with that, she stood up, brushed non-existent dust off her pants and kissed my cheek before starting back towards the Aphrodite cabin. I just stood there, my hand unconsciously holding the cheek she kissed and my entire face turning red.

* * *

**Ok, ok I know, it's just another filler. I'm sorry! The real plot will start soon but I needed to re-build Percy and Piper's friendship just a teensy bit. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Piper's POV**

The next day, as soon as I was presentable, I headed towards the Big House for the war meeting with the other counselors. Like usual, I was one of the first to arrive.

I took my seat next to Travis Stoll, who offered a small smile, and Katie Gardner, who didn't look up from the small potted flower whose petals she was periodically opening and closing. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep last night. After Percy came and woke up my entire cabin (which, by the way, is not taken lightly with children of Aphrodite who need their "beauty sleep") I couldn't fall back to sleep, my mind was whirring too fast.

Lately, I'd been having dreams similar to Percy's but like him, I couldn't tell if they were strictly demigod dreams or just reactions to having been through war. I didn't tell him this because knowing Percy he'd go ballistic and lock all of us in one of those padded rooms for crazy people so that we couldn't get hurt. That brought a small smile to my lips.

"What are you grinning about, Beauty Queen?" a familiar voice asked me. "Are you having a dream about how fabulous I am?"

I cracked open my eyes and smirked at Leo. "You wish," I said, grateful for the distraction. Even with everyone all depressed Leo managed to preserve his sense of humor and it often was just what we all needed to lift our spirits. Still though, I could tell that under his smiling exterior he was just as confused and upset as the rest of us.

Leo took his seat across from me and promptly reached into his tool belt and began fiddling with scraps of metal and tiny screws. I rolled my eyes realizing our conversation was over.

The familiar _clip-clop_ of hooves sounded right outside the door and everyone fell silent, knowing that Chiron was finally here. I didn't glance at the door as it opened, but watched Chiron's shadow dance across the pool table. Then it was joined by a second shadow.

We all seemed to jerk our heads around in synch, gaping at Percy who stood in the door wearing a rumpled Camp Shirt, his hair sticking up in random directions. He offered a small smile and a tiny wave. "Hey."

Chiron smiled and though it didn't quite reach his eyes he still looked happier than he had in a while. He gestured to Percy. "I hope you all don't mind that Percy joins us today."

Of course, no one responded. Even though I'd spoken to Percy just yesterday I was still shocked to see him actually trying to participate in things, especially after seeing him on the verge of a panic attack last night.

He kept his eyes on the ground as he slowly made his way to an open seat on the other end of the table. I jerked my eyes away from the son of Poseidon when Chiron began to speak.

"Ok campers, as you know, we've called you here for another war meeting," Chiron started, already sounding slightly discouraged. We all knew by now not to speak but there were several heavy sighs. "We've gone through several futile strategies so if anyone has fresh ideas to throw out there, well… we'll take what we can get."

The room was deadly silent as everyone pondered over what to say. "We could storm the nearest enemies' camp," Clarisse suggested.

"Where would that get us?" Travis asked, frowning down at the table. "You know, besides dead."

Clarisse scowled. "Well do you have a better idea, Stoll?" she demanded. We all knew what was coming. At nearly every meeting some sort of fight would break out. I think we all had too much tension inside of us that when we talk, it all just explodes out of us.

"Well of course not but I'm just trying to be smart here!" Travis shot back, looking irritated. "And shouldn't you know that was a stupid idea? I mean you're dad is the god of _War._"

"Children, enough," Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground. Clarisse shot Travis one more dirty look before falling silent. "We need to be orderly about this. Now, does anyone have any ideas?"

Clarisse's idea was understandable, I realized. The more monsters and enemy demigods that we could destroy, the closer we got to overthrowing Gaea. But, at the same time, Travis was right; we'd probably all be dead.

"Camp Jupiter," I whispered, barely aware that I had said anything aloud. The two words cut through the silence like a knife and everyone turned to face me.

"What was that?" Chiron asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Camp Jupiter," I answered a little louder, eyes glued firmly to the table. "We should contact them and you know… team up. We have a better chance of surviving with bigger numbers."

Several demigods nodded thoughtfully. "But we can't do that," Butch, son of Iris, said irritably. "Iris Messages aren't working anymore remember?"

I slumped down in my seat slightly. "Right," I mumbled feeling slightly defeated. That had been my only idea.

"Why don't we just go to Camp Jupiter," Percy suggested. Every single neck in the room snapped around to face him with expressions of surprise, horror and thought.

"We'll be killed before we even get out of New York!" someone shouted.

"How would we get there?" another demanded.

"We can't afford to lose anymore campers!"

Percy shrank back against his seat slightly, looking pretty overwhelmed. "Sorry," he said. "Bad idea."

I shook my head. "No," I said. A small amount of charmspeak leaked into my voice and all the campers who were complaining about his idea fell silent. "It could work. Plus we don't have any other ideas. We can't just sit around and watch as the world is destroyed. What choice do we have?"

I finished talking a little shyly but feeling slightly more hopeful than before. I glanced over at Chiron inquiringly, waiting to see how he would react.

He closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "It could work," he said thoughtfully. "But the Romans are very unpredictable, we don't even know if they'll decide to help us."

"They will," I blurted out without thinking. "Because of Jason… and Hazel and Frank. Percy too. The Romans trust them so they'll know they can trust us."

Chiron didn't look convinced but he relented. "Ok," he sighed. "I suppose I can send a group of you to Camp Jupiter."

I grinned, suddenly filled with hope. "So does that mean you're issuing a quest?" I asked.

"Yes," Chiron nodded. "Percy will be  
leading."

Percy looked pretty surprised, though he's lead tons of quests before. He blinked. "Me?"

"Well it is your idea, is it not?" Chiron said reasonably. "And Piper is correct, the Romans trust you. If your there then we have a better chance of forming an alliance with them."

He nodded hesitantly. "Alright," he glanced around the room. "Um… I want Piper and Leo to come with me."

I nearly choked on air when he said mine and Leo's names. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second; a flood of memories from my first quest came back in an instant. "Sure," I squeaked out.

Leo grinned but I could see the brief flash of emotion in his eyes. He was nervous. "Wouldn't miss it," he said.

* * *

**Yay! I finally updated this story! So I'm not so sure about the ending of this chapter but tell me what you guys think about the quest idea.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Percy's POV**

After the meeting was adjourned and I was heading out with everyone else, Chiron called me out, gesturing for me to stay a little while longer. I obliged, awkwardly scuffing the toe of my sneaker against the wood flooring until everyone trickled out, leaving Chiron and I alone.

I kept my eyes on the floor, listening to the steady _clip-clop_ of hooves as Chiron made his way across the room, resting his hand on my shoulder when he reached me. "Now Percy," he started and I looked him in the eye, thinking that he would know I was taking whatever he had to say seriously. The look on his face kind of scared me, he looked nervous and worried and a lot older than he had in a while. "This quest… is very dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you kids. I'd understand if you'd want to back out, especially considering everything you've been through recently."

I stared at him, stunned. A huge part of my wanted to scream _Yes! I don't want to go! Let somebody else save the world for once! _but those words only fueled my next thought: that Chiron was implying that I was a coward.

"No," I answered firmly. "I want to go, no, I need to go."

Chiron sighed wearily. "Very well. I figured as much. I just want you to be aware of what dangers you may face on this quest."

I bit my lip. His "pep talk" wasn't really helping my nerves. Instead of mentioning that though, I swallowed my worries- as best as I could- and flashed him the best smile I could muster. "I'll be fine," I promised and then added, "I've got good help with me."

Chiron smiled slightly. "That you do. Now, you should be on your way so you can prepare. We wouldn't want to hold you up any longer than necessary. This quest is vital for our survival."

* * *

I woke up the next morning to the sound of persistent knocking on my door. I groaned, glancing at my alarm clock (which I never actually used) in despair. It was _far_ too early for this (the first number on the clock was a single digit)… whatever _this_ was.

After lying there for another minute and the knocking still hadn't ceased, I decisively sat up, unceremoniously throwing my blankets to the floor in a heap. I yanked open the door, coming face to face with Leo's fist as he was prepared to begin knocking again.

He lowered his fist when he saw me and smiled. "Sup."

I refrained from slapping him right then and there. I sufficed with a small eye roll instead. "What do you need, Leo?" I asked wearily. "And why couldn't it have waited till it wasn't an ungodsly time of day."

Leo shrugged. "Sorry," he said, hands shoved in his pockets. "I'm here on Chiron's orders. He said that we should get an early start for this quest. Piper and I couldn't really disagree, I mean, he's so… excited for this quest."

I gave a short breathy laugh. "Alright," I sighed, running a hand through my hair in a futile attempt to flatten it. I glanced back into my cabin before looking back at Leo. "Give me a sec. I'll meet you guys at the border; I just need to get ready."

Leo nodded and turned around to leave as I shut the door. I sighed as I began to get ready, pulling on a t-shirt and jeans and shoving necessities in to my backpack. I was about to grab the handle of my door and run out to meet my friends when I froze. I slowly turned on my heel and surveyed my cabin carefully.

There was a small, quiet voice in my head that warned me that this may be the last time I'll see my cabin again. I pushed the thought away, filing it under: ridiculous, but I still couldn't help it when I tried to soak in every detail of my home. When I was satisfied, I turned, opened the door and headed out without a backward glance.

Piper and Leo were both already waiting with Chiron when I got to the border. Both the demigods were uneasily shifting around, letting their nerves get the best of them… well at least that's what I assumed in Piper's case, Leo was just freaking ADHD.

They all turned when they heard me coming, offering up halfhearted smiles and greetings. "Hey guys," I replied, coming to stand next to Piper.

"Percy," Chiron addressed me, nodding. "I hope you are well prepared to lead this quest."

I snorted. "Honestly?" I asked. "Not really."

Chiron nodded, not looking the least bit concerned. "Good, you shouldn't be."

I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his words, and I was just figuring out how to respond when Piper spoke up.

One eyebrow cocked, she glanced at Chiron with a mixture of emotions on her face: nervousness, alarm and… she almost looked peaceful, like she had a kind of aura of calm about her. I smiled, having never noticed that before. "How are we supposed to get to California?" she asked, decidedly not beating around the bush. "We have no means of transportation and on foot, this trip would take ages."

"I can drive," I offered up instantly, wanting to help in any way possible.

Piper didn't seem convinced. "I thought of that but even driving it'd still take days to get to Camp Jupiter," she seemed to choke on her next words as she said them. "And we can't exactly afford to waste time."

"Well," Chiron said hesitantly. "There is one more option…"

I froze as realization donned on me. "No Chiron, no way," I said, quickly shaking my head. "It's too dangerous and there's no real way to map out a way though there. We could end up in Germany before San Francisco!"

"Am I missing something here?" Leo asked, waving his hand in my face as if to remind us that he was still there.

Trying not to grit my teeth, I turned to him and Piper. "Chiron is suggesting we use the labyrinth as transportation," I said stiffly.

Piper's eyes widened and I couldn't help but notice she was kind of cute when she… wait, _what_?! Where the Hades did _that_ thought come from?! I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

"Wait," Leo interjected. "But that's not a bad idea, I mean I heard that thing can be pretty spazzy and all that but isn't it our best option?"

I shrugged. "It _could_ be, _or_," I stressed the word. "We could end up dead or maybe in some place we're completely unfamiliar with if we're lucky. It's a huge risk."

Piper shook her head slowly, looking thoughtfully at the ground. "But it might be able to get us there quickly, plus what do we have to lose?" she smiled dryly. "We're already living in Hades."

So that was how we ended up trekking through the woods at an ungodsly hour until we came to Zeus' fist. I stepped forward and Leo and Piper helped me move the large boulder that covered the entrance to the Labyrinth, revealing the black cave we'd have to go into.

Leo let out a low whistle. "Wow, ominous."

I turned around halfway to face everyone. "I still don't think this is a-"

Piper cut me off. "Oh come on Jackson, don't worry so much," with that she gave me a gentle shove and I tumbled into the Labyrinth.

* * *

"Any idea which way we should go?" Leo asked, scratching the back of his head as he surveyed the different paths we could take. We were just inside the entrance inside of Camp Half Blood and we'd been standing here the past ten minutes trying to decide which direction to go/

I shrugged. "I dunno, does it really matter? It's not like there's a right way to travel through the labyrinth."

Piper squinted down the different paths. "I say we go left."

"Why?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow at the daughter of Aphrodite.

"Why not?" she shot back.

Leo shrugged. "Good point. All in favor…?" he raised his hand. I rolled my eyes but grudgingly did the same which seemed to satisfy him.

We turned and started down the dark tunnel, leading who knows where. We traveled in silence, with our footsteps being the only noise. It gave me quite a bit of time to reflect.

I couldn't help but think maybe there was a different reason that I didn't want to travel through the labyrinth. I agreed with Chiron that it was probably our best bet for getting to Camp Jupiter, but ever since he mentioned it, I couldn't stop thinking about a certain daughter of Athena who lead her very first quest through the labyrinth just a couple of years ago. My breath hitched just thinking about her and I did my best to push those thoughts out of my mind.

Too bad it proved to be impossible.

* * *

**Hey guys sorry it's been so long since I last updated and sorry this chapter is so short (I'm working on slowly making my chapters longer). I bet you guys weren't expecting the whole Labyrinth thing! Well, me neither. It kind of just came to me while I was writing and I figured it'd be good because I can use my imagination a lot since the labyrinth can be kinda spazzy as Leo says. Also I don't recall if it was destroyed or not and if it was just pretend it wasn't.**

**Anyway, I was informed by some reviewers that Clarisse may have sorta come back from the dead (I said she was dead in the first chapter) but I changed it so she is very much alive. Sorry about that, but it's nice to know that at least YOU guys pay attention to my writing LOL. **

**Anyway (jeez this is a long authors note) sorry there isn't much Percy/Piper, but I kind of want it to be a gradual thing (like how I stealthily snuck in that Percy thinks Piper is cute) because I feel like they should still be pretty hung up on their lost loves. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Piper's POV**

As we traveled through the labyrinth there were exactly two reoccurring thoughts running through my mind: _gods, it's freaking dark_! and _where the Hades are we going?!_

As if reading my mind, Leo called out, "So, um, can anyone, like, I dunno, see… where we're going?"  
"Um, well not exactly," I heard Percy's voice from somewhere to my left.

I threw my hands up, though I knew the action was invisible to the boys. "Great," I said sarcastically. "Leo, can't you just..?"

"Wha- oh yeah, right, duh," a second later, the path was illuminated slightly, a small flame dancing across Leo's open palm. He looked up and met my gaze. "Better?"

I smiled slightly. "Much. Thanks Leo."

Percy just rolled his eyes, his tone slightly sarcastic as he spoke. "Why couldn't we have done that like twenty minutes ago?"

Leo shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry man."

"Whatever," I said. "Can we focus on where to go, now that we can see?"

I glanced around the tunnel we were in. The walls surrounding us were partially made of crumbling brick, fading into a cement ceiling. Almost every inch was covered in graffiti… all written in ancient Greek. I frowned. "This is… weird."

Leo nodded. "Way better than any sewer I've been in before though."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Dude, you say that about every sewer we're in."

"Well there weren't any nice sewers in Texas. Plus-"

"Does it matter?" Percy cut off our tiny argument with an eye roll and a shake of the head. "Now, which way?"

"How about we go through that door?"

I blinked. I followed Leo's line of vision and stared at a thick grey door that _definitely _hadn't been there a moment before. It was the kind of door you'd see in the back of a _Home Depot or _any store really, marked with one of those stick figure people they put on bathroom doors.

"I don't know if we should-" I started.

"Oh come _on,_ Beauty Queen," Leo stressed the word dramatically. "Toilets aren't dangerous!" With that he turned, shoved open the door and strolled through.

Percy shrugged and followed the son of Hephaestus. I groaned, desperately wishing Annabeth was here to help me rein them in. A pang went through me and I shook my head, I wasn't about to open _that _door.

I hadn't heard anything bad from the other side of the door so instead of waiting around, I marched forward and swung the door open. It was so bright on the other side that I cried out, momentarily blinded.

I cursed under my breath, blinking furiously and holding my hand out in front of me like an old blind man. It took a moment for my vision to clear but once it did, I realized we'd stepped out into broad daylight. It had been so dark in the labyrinth that the sun felt like someone was pointing a searchlight directly in my eyes.

"What the-" I gasped, looking around. Leo looked just as confused but Percy just stared at the door we'd just come through with an expression like 'I told you so.'

It seemed as though we had emerged from a bathroom, one of those weird cement buildings that parks have. I opened the door and peeked inside but there was no sign that thousands of years of Greek mythology had ever resided there. Maybe thousands of bugs- the place was a mess- but no labyrinth.

I glanced around, taking in my surroundings carefully, like I'd been taught in one of my training camps. There wasn't much to take in though, just some old falling apart play equipment surrounded by grass that looked as though it hadn't been cut in some time. There was a yellow slide, but the end was all jagged like someone randomly attacked it with a chainsaw. Something was missing and a quick glance around told me what it was. I don't ever think I'd seen a park completely empty before.

"Nice place," Percy commented dryly.

"Where are we?" I asked. The whole area was pretty nondescript, no landmarks that I could recognize anywhere.

"Well young demigod that is the question isn't it?"

I whirled around in surprise, Katoptris already in my hand. A woman who looked to be only about twenty or so stood before us, absently twirling a lock of long, dark hair between her fingers. Her eyes- a pretty green- were gazing at the three of us with mild interest.

Percy- who had Riptide out- stepped forward. "Who are you?" he challenged. We'd all had enough experience to know that when someone uses either your full name or calls you demigod they're either a.) A monster or b.) A god.

The woman huffed in annoyance. "I never get any recognition. But you should recognize me, shouldn't you Perseus?"

Percy looked surprised. "Er, I don't-"

The woman sighed. "I'm not surprised, nobody ever does. I'm Thalassa, a sea spirit, also referred to as primordial goddess of the sea."

Percy blinked. "Oh… right! Thalassa! Sure, I've heard of you."

Thalassa didn't seem convinced but she gave a half smile anyway. "Wonderful. Well the gods sent me down from Olympus to help on this little quest of yours because apparently everyone else is still too busy 'recovering from the war,'" she put finger quotes around the words.

Percy looked at a loss for words and since Leo didn't really have a good track record of speaking with woman, I stepped forward. "How kind of you," I smiled as brightly as I could. If I'd learned one thing, it's that goddesses like praise. "What are you going to do to assist us?"

"Ah, Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite and the famous Tristan McLean," Thalassa said. "Your mother raves about you. And your dad makes fantastic movies!"

I felt my face flush, in anger or embarrassment I really wasn't sure. I was a bit annoyed; even though my mom was an immortal goddess, I was still known as Tristan McLean's daughter.

"Right," I continued on a bit more forcefully. "So is there anything you can tell us to help us get to Camp Jupiter?"

"One moment," Thalassa snapped her fingers and a small coral colored bag appeared out of thin air. She riffled through it, murmuring to herself, until she pulled out a small clear bottle about the size of my pointer finger with a tiny rolled up piece of paper inside.

"Message in a bottle," Percy said.

"Sort of," Thalassa agreed. "Since your oracle has been missing," Percy winced at the mention of his friend Rachel, who hadn't been heard from in months. "I was told I had to give you your prophecy for this quest, you know, make it official."

To everyone's surprise- including his own, it seemed- Thalassa passed by Percy and handed Leo the bottle. "Take great care of this, son of Hephaestus."

Leo opened and closed his mouth a few times before clearing his throat. "But… I'm not the quest leader…?" he trailed off, still looking confused.

Thalassa just laughed. "I know that, but I do know you'll take care of it. I've spoken with Nemesis," Leo's face reddened in anger at the mention of the revenge goddess but Thalassa didn't seem to notice. "She told me that you're very… _cautious_ with things regarding your future."

Thalassa glanced down briefly at Leo's tool belt before stepping back and smiling. Leo looked as though he was about to throw up.

"Well this was fun!" Thalassa commented. "I hope to be seeing you again, but for now I should be going!"

"Wait!" I called out. "Can't you at least tell us where we are?"

Thalassa turned back, looking a bit confused. "Sure, I suppose. We're in Frankfort."

With that, the primordial sea goddess turned, took a few steps and disappeared like she'd evaporated on the spot.

"Frankfurter. Isn't that a kind of hot dog or something?" Leo asked, twirling the bottle between his fingers.

"Frankfort," I corrected, trying to remember my geography lessons. "We're in Kentucky, the capital of Kentucky, actually."

"Whoa we traveled that far?" Leo looked shocked. "We were only in the labyrinth for a couple of hours at the most!"

Percy smirked solemnly, which I hadn't known was possible until then. "I told you guys. We can't trust the labyrinth, just be glad we're still in the U.S."

"Ok, so we didn't end up in California, but did you really expect to?" I put a small bit of charmspeak in my words. I wasn't huge on travelling in the labyrinth either but I didn't know if we'd need to use it in the future, might as well try to convince Percy that it wasn't all bad just in case. "We can catch a train, ride some buses, take a taxi, whatever. It'll all work out," I smiled. "Now, Leo, let's see this prophecy."

He held it out to me but I shook my head and pointed at Percy. "Percy's the quest leader," I explained. "Not me. He should open the prophecy."

"Uh, we could co-lead instead?" Percy suggested, eying the bottle nervously. I didn't blame him; prophecies weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye and he held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'll open it, jeez… if looks could kill."

I made sure I hid my smile.

Percy popped open the bottle and turned it upside-down to dump out the miniature scroll inside. He carefully unfolded the paper.

"Are you sure you don't-?"

"Read it Kelp Head."

Percy huffed but did as he was told. "Children of the sea, dove and flame, will make the journey of endless pain, to join with the ones they most despise to see it destroyed before their eyes."

Percy slowly lifted his eyes from the page, looking expectantly at Leo and I. Leo let out a low whistle. "That was not cheerful."

"No kidding," I murmured. "Well at least we know that we're the right people for this quest."

"I don't understand," Percy said thoughtfully. He seemed more like he was thinking aloud rather than actually talking to us. "It says 'to join with the ones they most despise.' That has to mean the Romans, except we made an alliance with them after the whole Hera switch-a-roo."

"Maybe the prophecy is out of date. Do they have expiration dates? Like milk?" Leo asked.

Percy made a face. "Prophecies aren't like that."

"Unfortunately," I added. "But they have double meanings, don't they? Like the last Great Prophecy," I sent Percy a pointed look.

"Well, yeah," he said slowly. "I mean, everyone thought I was going to die… but I didn't… so…"

"Well then _this_ prophecy could have a double meaning too," I reasoned. I glanced down at my watch, realizing the day was passing far too quickly. "Now come on, we need to find a bus station. We're needed in California."

* * *

**So yeah I'm super sorry that this took so long to update, I'm terrible I know :P it would have been up sooner except I decided halfway through writing it that I didn't like it much so I rewrote the whole thing and that took a while. Add in school and extra curricular activities, well it's hard for me to find time to write. But I hope you enjoy because I worked hard on this :)**

**~xScorpio1025x**


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